"The astonishing story of a Philadelphia couple’s resolve to help bring Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Austria…. With a careful eye to detail and dialogue, Pressman vividly re-creates this epic rescue." - Kirkus

"[50 Children] serves up a powerful and sincere tribute to these long-forgotten heroes and their remarkable act of heroism. Highly Recommended."-Video Librarian

Trailer

Synopsis

Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus never intended to become heroes. But in early 1939, as conditions were worsening for Jews living inside Nazi Germany, the Philadelphia couple embarked on a risky and improbable mission – an effort to rescue 50 Jewish children and bring them to safety in the United States.

The couple faced imposing obstacles. The United States government, not to mention a vast majority of the American public, was largely indifferent to the plight of Jewish refugees seeking to escape from Adolf Hitler’s increasing persecution. America’s rigid immigration laws also made it nearly impossible to bring refugees – even children – into this country.

The Krauses, who were Jewish, also had to face the risks of traveling into Nazi Germany and dealing with the Gestapo and other Nazi officials in their effort to carry out their bold rescue plan.

In the spring of 1939, Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus sailed for Europe and into the heart of darkness. 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus for the first time tells the incredible story of an American couple who, against all odds, brought the single largest group of children during the Holocaust out of Nazi Germany and into the United States. In doing so, they transformed themselves from an ordinary couple into extraordinary heroes.

Director

Steven Pressman (director, producer and writer) worked for many years as a newspaper and magazine journalist in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and received his undergraduate education at the University of California at Berkeley. 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus is Steven’s first documentary film.

Book

Based on his acclaimed HBO documentary, Steven Pressman’s 50 Children tells the astonishing story of the improbable 1939 mission to rescue a group of Jewish children from Vienna and bring them into the safety of the United States.

“The astonishing story of a Philadelphia couple’s resolve to help bring Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Austria.... With a careful eye to detail and dialogue, Pressman vividly re-creates this epic rescue.”-Kirkus Reviews

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Seventh Art Releasing distributes unique independent and foreign films of the highest quality with a focus on documentaries. We are dedicated to releasing films that challenge and entertain to the largest possible audience. 7th Art has released award-winning films on , among many other things, music, social and political issues, Jewish history and culture, and human rights.